


Ailments

by Left_In_The_Wreckage



Series: Pond Dweller (Siren AUs) [4]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-28 04:36:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11410350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Left_In_The_Wreckage/pseuds/Left_In_The_Wreckage
Summary: Bill hears second handedly that his Pine Tree is sickJust a short kind of drabble.





	Ailments

It was a beautiful morning, the sun rose sluggishly to its peak and set the skies ablaze in impossible displays of color and light. Bill usually enjoyed these times with Pine Tree… but the boy had yet to arrive. _ He was late.  _ Not only that, but it looked like he wasn't coming at all.

 

Hadn’t he been clear about the consequences of failing to make an appearance? It took everything in Bill not to lose any more of his sanity or start hunting him down. He told himself that he was probably being delayed by that family of his, Dipper had to be careful when he visited the siren or he’d be followed. Bill felt restless and anger fueled his pacing as he tread water lap after lap. Where was his Pine Tree? Had something happened? Had he been injured by something? Was he going against his word? 

 

Bill had to admit he was less familiar with this territory, he’d wanted nothing more than to stick to his cave while his Pines was scheduled for a visit, but… the human had other ideas, he’d wanted to find other spots in case anyone did follow him and found their rendezvous, and should that happen he knew where else to find the siren. Bill had chosen the marsh, it was the farthest thing from his cave that Dipper could reach without too much trouble. Its cattails and algae filled waters also offered great coverage should the siren or the human need it. Bill had only agreed to it because the kid had a point, and it was nice to leave the cave walls from time to time… and there was so much he wanted to show Dipper outside of it… But if anything happened to him because they went through with this-

 

“H-Hello?” Bill whipped his head around to peer into the dim lighting after the voice, but saw nothing. He was about to dismiss it as nothing, when it came again, closer this time, “H-hello?” He could see them now, a silhouette with brown hair hidden under a cap. Pine Tree’s signature hat. He felt his heart flip at the sight of it, but as the figure drew closer, his eyes widened and the instinct to hide or ensnare the stranger overwhelmed him just as quickly.  _ You’re not my Pine Tree _ , he thought vehemently,  _ so how did you find me? _

 

In hindsight he could hear the differences in the other’s voice, but they were subtle enough for his unsuspecting ears to trust it at first. It didn’t help that they looked so much like the other brunette the siren knew. He concluded it must have been Dipper’s twin. Which could only mean the boy broke his promise. The thought made his blood boil, red and hot. He smoothed over his expression however, for the sake of civility. After all, Pine Tree knew the consequences of their deal and he didn’t seem one to take it lightly. So this one either got to him through trickery or something was wrong. Maybe someone or something had gotten to Dipper? Either way, if there wasn’t a good enough reason, Dipper had better start running.  _ Not that it would do much good. _

 

“Greetings, Shooting star.” He hailed, noticing the symbol on her shirt as she drew closer. Why hadn’t he noticed that sooner? He’d never known Dipper to wear such a color.

 

“Oh, I thought he might have been joking... Hello!”  

 

Bill raised his brow at this, but proceeded to draw closer to the water’s edge as the curious other sat a fair distance away from him. “Thought who was joking?” he asked, already knowing the answer. 

 

“M-my brother… Dipper… He said I’d find you here, and he was right,   _ you’re beautiful!” _

 

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Shooting star,” He slapped his tail on the water’s surface and looked out at the area around them. “Where is your dear brother? Surely he didn’t send you here all alone?” Although he knew he wouldn’t find any sign of his usual company, he still found himself mildly disappointed. He supposed there were a few ways this could still work if Dipper really intended to avoid the siren. If nothing else he could use her as bait, to lure the boy back here.

 

“He’s… he can't come.” Her face dropped and rubbed her arm nervously, as if realizing the gravity of her predicament. She looked around as well, perhaps to judge the distance between her and the nearest exit, whether it was the way she came or another.

 

This of course only fueled the siren’s suspicion and dislike for this Dipper imposter. “Oh? And who decided this? Dipper gave me  _ his  _ **_word_ ** -” 

 

Mabel was quick to cut him off, she refused to let anyone demand so much from her brother, knowingly or not. “I did!” Bill’s eyes narrowed at the slight spark of rebellion that shone in her eyes despite her fear. “I- I told him he shouldn’t come. I’m- I’m sorry, but he’s sick!”

 

The words hit the siren,  _ hard _ and he sank back into his pond. “Sick?” he echoed, face reverting back to a familiar blank mask. The word was foreign to him, but he knew what it meant. _ His Pine Tree was sick... how? _

 

Mabel, carried on, “So I’ve come instead, so you won’t be lonely and miss him so much while he’s healing a- and so you don’t think he tried avoiding you.”

 

he surveyed her, sizing her up and watching closely for any nervous ticks that would denote a liar in his midst. He found nothing. “Thanks, but no thanks. _ I only want Pine Tree _ .”

 

Mabel blanched and looked about to object, but Bill cut her off with a dismissive wave.  “You can tell him not to worry about our deal, so long as he does come back when he’s better.”

 

He trailed off, and asked hesitantly, “He is… alright?”

 

Mabel gave a small smile, “Yeah, he’s tried to get out of bed more times than I can count to see you and tired himself out. I-I found out because he's been murmuring in his sleep… It’s the funniest thing, when he sleep talks you can ask him questions and he’ll answer and not remember it when he wakes up. Sometimes it’s just random things, so I wasn’t sure if you were real or his imagination...” She grew distant then and looked back at the siren, making eye contact for the first time, her gaze unwavering, but earnest, “He’s going to make himself sicker with the worry, and all he can think about is you. He’s been zoning out a lot lately, I thought it might have been some silly crush on some girl, but…” She paused at the murderous expression on the Siren's face at the mention of a possible other in the picture.

 

“You’re really not mad at him for breaking his promise? You won’t… try to keep him when he gets back? I really need him to be there, he’s my brother and…. He really didn’t mean to get sick or for me to find out!”

 

“No,” Bill sighed. “I’m not mad. I can’t be with him…. Tell him- tell him to rest easy. I’m not going anywhere, and neither should he if it's detrimental to his health.”

 

“Detra- detra wha-?”, Mabel’s brows furrowed and she smiled apologetically.

 

Bill rolled his eyes, “Just make sure he gets better and all is forgiven.”

 

Mabel smiled and made a move to leave, when he spoke up again, swimming closer.

“And… Mabel was it? I expect you to keep quiet about your brother and I… or it’s nightmares for days for you, and our deal will fall through and Dipper will be lost to you.” He cackled as she sprinted off with a squeal.

 

“And watch over your brother’s sleep! I can't have anyone else finding out!”

  
He thinks for a time, swimming in circles, and sharpening his nails with nothing better to do without his expected visitor. There must be  _ some way _ for him to visit Dipper, and after considering it, he couldn’t shake the idea.  _ There had to be a way. _ What Shooting Star said made him realize he was missing out on too much when it came to the kid. He wanted to be there, after all, if he could find a way to be there he could also find a way to keep his Pine Tree safe.


End file.
